DESIGNED TO HELP CPC TRAINEES IN With reference to your
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editor's comments regarding possible cheating in the RSA's CPC examinations (CM 8-14 February).
I work for a company that has achieved high pass rates in both the UK and Holland and also offers a money-back guarantee. Your column and lead story would appear to be aimed at companies like ours and therefore I believe it deserves a response.
I have only been involved in the transport training industry for a short time, but my background is with one of the most professional transport companies in the world, a company for whom service has been a major part of their strategy.
Indeed, their introduction into this country eventually forced the improvement of the service and professionalism of many other carriers in order to compete. In the transport training industry no such lesson has yet been learned.
Our instructors are all full time with a minimum of 12 years in the transport industry. They have at least three months' training on the CPC courses themselves, and have a total commitment to the candidates' success.
Our five-day intensive training courses for the CPC national have been designed specifically to help our clients pass the examination. No one at our company has ever pretended that anyone can teach transport in just one week.
We do not offer home-study packs because we feel they suffer the same fate as the exercise bicycle or rowing machine — they tend to get left in the wardrobe. Also, we feel that the CPC syllabus needs to be explained personally. Certainly a pass rate could not be guaranteed for the home-study method, perhaps that is one reason for the lower national average!
The vast majority of people who attend our courses are already working in the transport industry and therefore know at least one section of the syllabus very well, but in our experience everyone seems to have difficulty with at least one of the five parts. Our lecturers are always available to answer queries our candidates may have.
Each eight-hour day — referred to as "gruelling" by Commercial Motor's Murdo Morrison when he came on a course in September 1989 —
deals with one section of the syllabus. At the end of each day a test paper of approximately 100 questions is given to each candidate for completion before the following day.
The courses end approximately one to three weeks prior to the examination date, and each client is given the syllabus manual to keep for both examination revision and as a reference for the future.
My company now offers a six-month free advisory service to all successful clients to help them during the first few months of running their own businesses. We are also introducing a book-keeping course for the small business to assist the owner-driver sector.
I thoroughly agree with many of your comments about possible policing of examinations, but I have to admit to feeling that the trend of the column was alarmist and probably fed by companies who live in the comfort zone of making money with very little effort at the expense of the good name of those who give total commitment to their clientele.
As for the suggestion of cheating can anyone be so stupid as to jeopardise a business when results can be achieved with professionalism and good service?
Paul Morris
Daleauto Training and Transport, Cranfield, Bedfordshire.